Testimony
by Siobhan Daley
Summary: Draco and his friend have to testify at the trial over Buckbeak, but his nerves are getting the better of him. Fortunately, his friend has a trick up her sleeve to help him.


Draco didn't know train rides could be so tense. Under normal circumstances, he'd be chatting with his classmates while they were being taken to or from school. Today, it was just him and his friend Melody, and she wasn't in much of a talking mood. She didn't seem particularly angry at him anymore, but her typical lighthearted demeanor was gone.

"Hey, Mel-"

Before he could finish, she cut him off, "Shouldn't you be rehearsing your victim speech?"

Ouch. Something in her tone stung. "Mel, I didn't ask my father to press charges."

"Maybe not, but you knew he would." There was no denying that. Lucius Malfoy was always looking to raise a fuss against Dumbledore or Hogwarts as a whole. Draco's father had actually sent him a script of what he wanted Draco to say, and he actually brought it with him in an envelope folded up in his pocket. He was about to say something else, but something tiny and brown crawling on Melody's shoulder from under her hair caught his attention. "Mel, there's a spider on your-"

"She's my companion."

"Right. My bad. I forgot." For the next several minutes, it was silent between them. Draco used some of that time to look over his script, becoming less and less content with it as he re-read it. Critical details were understated or ignored and others were exaggerated or outright lies. Before, it hadn't seemed like a big deal, but for some reason, going over it in the mere presence of his fair and strict-principled friend seemed to change his mind on the matter. She knew how things really happened, and if he lied like his father wanted him to, Mel would probably never forgive him. Not for lying, but for being a spineless coward.

"You're nervous." Melody pulled a small, pretty blue phial out of her pocket and tossed it over to him. "Take it. It's a calming draught. If playing the victim act is unnerving for you, just drink that before we go in and you won't feel nervous anymore."

"But won't you need it?"

"I intend to tell things like they are, so I have nothing to be nervous about. You should do the same, but you wouldn't want to disappoint your father, now would you?" She shrugged and continued, "You'll have to become your own person someday though."

* * *

Melody's words sunk in more once they actually reached their location: The Ministry of Magic. More specifically, one of the numerous courtrooms in the lower levels. Draco watched the court procedings and fiddled with the phial in his pocket. Melody was sitting in the chair in the middle of the room now, her voice steady as a rock while she was being questioned, and he knew exactly why. Like she'd told him earlier, she was telling the complete truth, exactly as it was. She didn't need anything to calm her down because she had nothing to worry about, whether it was keeping up an act or telling a lie.

"Your name is Melody Twist, correct?" the judge began his interrogation of Mel.

"That is correct."

"Were you present during the incident in question?"

"I was."

"Could you please recount what you witnessed?"

"Our Study of Magical Creatures class was doing a field study on hippogriffs. One of my classmates approached the hippogriff in a way that it found threatening and was injured."

 _Straightforward as ever,_ Draco thought, wrapping his fingers around the phial even tighter, _Wow, I'm losing my composure just watching her. There's no way I can be as relaxed as Mel, even with the potion she gave me._

The questioning continued, "Just to clarify, the classmate you mentioned is Draco Malfoy and the hippogriff is te one known as 'Buckbeak,' correct?"

"That's right."

"Whose fault would you say the incident was?"

With only a moment of hesitation, Melody answered, "Nobody."

An incredulous murmur rippled among the jurors. "What do you mean, 'nobody?'"

"The way I view it, the incident was nobody's fault. Draco approached Buckbeak in a way the hippogriff found threatening, so he lashed out. Hippogriffs lack the ability to reason and act on instinct like all other creatures do. Draco did what he did out of recklessness and pride, but also out of naivite and lack of knowledge. Draco's injury was unintentional, as was provoking Buckbeak. It was an accident."

Draco couldn't help but inwardly cheer for Mel. She could be the most convicing lawyer in the world if she wanted to.

"What about your instructor, Professor Hagrid?" the judge continued, "Did he not provide adequate warnings against approaching the hippogriff in the manner Mr. Malfoy did? Wouldn't that make it his fault."

"Professor Hagrid _did_ warn his students to approach Buckbeak carefully, and gave instructions on how to approach him properly. Hagrid was not at fault."

"Are you suggesting that we simply drop the case like nothing happened?"

"I'm not suggesting anything, sir. I'm only answering your questions truthfully."

The room was still for a moment. Mel hadn't said anything out of line, but something in her words thickened the tension in the air. Finally, the judge declared, "There will be a five-minute break. Draco Malfoy will be next on the stand when we resume."

Everyone filed out of the chamber quietly and took the opportunity to converse or walk around. Dracdo immediately joined Melody around a corner down the hall. "You did a great job in there, Mel," he smiled, "Everything you said-"

"Yes, you're such an articulate young lady." Both youths knew that pompous voice anywhere. "Miss... Twist, wasn't it? Your performance was impressive."

"I wasn't performing, Mr. Malfoy," she retorted coldly, "I was just telling the truth."

"Of course you were. And that's very admirable." Mel tried to move away when Lucius pushed a piece of her hair away with his cane, but she had nowhere to go. "Hmm... I can see why Draco likes you. Pretty, brave, and from what he's told me, your quite clever." The man retreated and began to walk away. "I hope to meet each other again, Miss Twist."

Once he was out of earshot, Draco apologized, "Mel, I'm sorry about-"

"Don't worry about it," she cut him off, "That wasn't your fault, and it's not a big deal. I've lived with worse creeps than your father. No offense."

"Still, sorry. Anyway, like I said, you were great. It was nice that you didn't make anyone out to be that bad guy, even though this mess was my fault."

"If you were listening to anything I said, it isn't your fault."

"The way _you_ view it. And by the way..." Draco pulled his fist out of his pocket and held it out to Mel. He unfurled it, revealing the tiny blue phial she'd given him. "I don't think I'm going to need this after all. I'm not going to play the victim act like my father wants me to. I'm just going to tell the truth like it is. Like you did. Then I'll have nothing to be nervous about."

Melody smiled and took the potion back, obviously pleased with her friend. "I had a feeling you would do this." She looked at the phial in her hand and continued, "You know, the you when we first met wouldn't have had the courage to do it."

"Do what?"

"Go against your father. You never would have done it before."

"You're right about that. I guess you're just a good influence on me." Everyone was called back into the courtroom and they all filed back to their seats.

"Draco Malfoy, please take the stand."

It was his turn to testify, but he wasn't nervous anymore. He had nothing to worry about.

* * *

Optional Prompts: 6 (envelope), 13 (spider), 14 (setting: Ministry of Magic)


End file.
